


A Spell of Peace

by elrond50



Series: Derek's unexpected do over [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, High School, M/M, Magic, Young Derek, age shift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-01-19 00:37:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1448818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrond50/pseuds/elrond50
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fallout from Derek being turned back into a teenager continues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You did what?

Sunlight peaked in the window and Stiles tried to bury his head under the pillows only to find them occupied.

“Was here first,” was the mumbled response.

The knock the door was part one of how the morning was going to go.

“Boys, time to get up.”

Stiles looked down at both his and Derek’s unclothed forms and was glad his dad hadn’t walked in. The flaking dry spooge from his and Derek’s night was all the evidence his father would need to confirm that plenty was being shared between the two of them.

“We’re getting up,” Stiles groaned back.

“Speak for yourself,” Derek muttered. “Some of us need sleep.”

“You’re a freaking werewolf; you had plenty of stamina last night. How are you so worn out this morning?” Stiles flopped out of bed and searched for his underwear. Making it across the hall to the bathroom without Cora seeing anything she shouldn’t was a priority.

“Because since you lost your virginity you’ve been balls-to-the- wall ready to have sex all the time. Including at 2 am last night.” Derek peered out from under the blankets at the time. “Ugh, it’s not even 7 am yet.”

“I lost my virginity four days ago, ass!” Stiles pulled on his sleep pants while brushing more dried _evidence_ from his stomach. “Sue me for finding out I really like having sex with you.”

“Boys!” came the second call.

Stiles opened the door and rushed past his dad. “Have to pee,” he called over his shoulder.

Derek pulled his head out from under the blankets to see the sheriff giving him a grin. “All I ask is that you two keep it down when I’m home. And you might want to buy Cora some earplugs. She was threatening to maim some unnamed boys this morning.”

“Ugh!” was the only thing Derek could say as John walked out laughing.

* * *

 

Stiles plopped his lunch tray right next to Derek and took the seat next to him. “I am so glad it’s Friday!”

“It’s only Wednesday,” Lydia deadpanned.

“Longest week ever,” Stiles muttered in response.

“You?” Derek groaned. “I’m back in high school! I forgot what it was like to want to sleep all the time.”

“Among other things,” Cora growled. She smirked at the raised eyebrows and questioning looks from the pack. “When ‘Uncle’ John left Monday night, these two spent the night together being loud. He stayed home last night and they still spent a quieter night together.”

“No wonder they smell like they’ve rolled around in each other’s clothes,” Scott whined.

“You should smell them in the morning,” Cora noted. “Bad enough I can hear it but then I have to smell it.”

“Okay, enough of that,” Stiles cut them off. “Look we still need to figure out why this was done. I mean I like Derek being age relatable, but still to be sixteen again sucks.”

“Apparently a lot,” Isaac snarked. “What? I’m single and those two assholes are living the teenage fantasy of having a great sex life.”

Boyd, Erica, and Allison joined the others in trading looks and shrugging. “As long as they don’t show up here reeking of sweat and hormones, its good,” Erica whispered. “Not that Stiles has ever not reeked of hormones.”

“Can we change the subject?” Lydia asked. “Stiles is right that we need to figure why this was done and who orchestrated it. Deaton was useless, as usual.” She glared at Scott to contradict her. “But in less than a week everything has changed. Derek is a weakened alpha, but the pack feel stronger somehow.”

“It’s because my anchor is changing and everything about me shifted.” Derek frowned as he took a bite of the daily mystery meat the cafeteria was serving. He pushed it to the side and shrugged. “The distance I had between us is no longer there.”

Stiles reached across the table and started massaging Derek’s hand. They stared at each other for a few moments before Erica cleared her throat. “Nice as it is that you two are together, the smell of horny teenage boys fucking stinks right now.”

Cora shoved Derek making him losing his balance and almost fall off the chair. “Seriously, go away, both of you. Have a make out session or something, but go!”

They shrugged and got up to leave. Derek blew a kiss at Cora from over his shoulder. Ignoring the glances they received as they left the quad, Stiles linked their hands together as they headed to the lacrosse field.

“Have you given any thought to what extra circulars you want to join?”

Derek pulled Stiles up the bleachers and shrugged. “Not basketball this time around. Swimming is always fun as long as I’m not paralyzed.” He leaned over and kissed Stiles deeply. “Chess club maybe?”

“Ass,” Stiles muttered against his mouth.

“Don’t the two of you look comfortable?”

The boys looked up to see Counselor Morrell standing there. She smiled at them for a moment before looking away. Finally she looked Derek in the eye and smirked. “Meet me at Hale House at 6 o’clock this evening.” Without another word she walked off leaving both boys in stunned silence.

“Well, what do we do?” Stiles asked.

Derek shrugged and then sighed. “We meet her at 6.”

* * *

 

“What does she want?” demanded Lydia after Stiles told her. “I mean she’s not exactly villain material, but still why is she skulking about?”

Stiles threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know! Which is why we are going. Scott is begging Allison to show up and I’d like you there too.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Only because Jackson has something going on tonight am I going to do this. If he didn’t, then we’d have our weekly Skype session.” She narrowed her eyes at Stiles. “Are the other wolves going to be there?”

“Peter won’t as far as I know, but Derek’s minions will be.”

Erica sat down next to them and threw a ball of paper at Stiles’ head. “I’m not a minion. Do I look round and yellow with a speech impediment?”

“You can look however you want as long as you don’t hit me with my car again,” Stiles whined.

“It was the one time and…never mind. We will be there and,” she turned to Lydia, “Zombie pedo wolf won’t be. Okay, we’ll see you there.”

Lydia waited until the she-wolf was out of hearing range. “Stiles, how deep are you and Derek getting?”

“I…uh…”

She rolled her eyes and patted his cheek. “I’ve seen the way you look at each other and this is not just a little crush. You two are deep down the rabbit hole and I don’t know if you can come back.”

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck and avoided looking at Lydia directly. “What if I don’t want to come back?”

“Then make sure he’s on the same page. And,” she emphasized, “make sure his feelings are his own and not part of the spell.”

* * *

 

The sky was clear as the teenagers gathered in front of the ruins of Hale House. Derek’s shoulders slumped as he took in the ruins. He leaned into Stiles’ touch as he mumbled. “It feels like it happened yesterday.”

“And it would,” Morrell said as she walked up to the house. She nodded to the pack and to Deaton, who was lurking near Scott. “I expected you to be here, Alan.”

“Why did you call this meeting?” the vet asked.

She turned to Derek. “The twins got the spell from me.” She held up her hands to stop any comments. She glared at Deaton for a moment as they locked gazes. He turned away first. “I was owed a favor by a few friends of mine in the community. It was a combined effort.”

“Why?” Stiles managed to get out. He knew Derek was too shocked to speak.

“The Hale Alpha cannot be so damaged.” She moved closer to Derek and her gaze turned sympathetic. “We are supposed to maintain balance, but yours was shattered. Nothing can restore it, but the deep wounds to your soul can be healed. It requires time and safety. We could not undo the events that happened to your family, but we could reset who you were back to that point.”

“Why?” Derek finally managed to get words out. “What do you gain?”

“Me? Nothing.  But your pack and this town get a measure of peace instead of a broken alpha and a ragtag group of teenagers stumbling in the dark.” She flipped her hair and stared at Deaton. “You should have been the one to step up and help right after the fire started. You should have fought to restore the balance.”

Deaton stepped forward. “Marin, you must undo this. You cannot address the wrongs of the past this way.”

“You are wrong,” she countered. “You would rather sit on the sidelines and wish for events to give you a legend regardless of the costs. You let the remnants of your pack drift away. No, the alpha pack came for your ‘project’ and I’ll not let any more suffer for it.”

“What are you talking about?” Allison asked as she stepped forward.

“They don’t want Derek, they wanted Scott,” Marin spat. “The twins are in a tough spot, but the spell’s protections would keep them from hurting Hales, which happens to include Scott.”

Scott looked between Deaton and Morrell. “I’m not a Hale.”

“You were bitten by one,” Deaton answered. “The Hale alpha line is responsible for all the wolves here, by birth or bite. Marin, you cannot fix Derek.”

“Have you even tried? Have you ever made clear who you were and what you meant to him? Did you ever even talk to Laura?” Morrell got right into Deaton’s face. “The Hale alpha must be whole and able to do his or her duty. That is their sacred task. You’ve lost sight of that.”

Deaton slowly shook his head. “That which is broken cannot be fixed. He is shattered.”

All of the wolves stepped back as Marin glowed for an instant. “You arrogant ass; the soul is not so fragile. It is not spun of glass that can be turned to dust. It is made of material far greater than iron. It can be broken only to be reforged stronger. He needs time.”

Derek had enough. “If you two are done playing games.” His eyes flashed brilliant crimson for the first time since he was turned back into a teenager. “I am right here. What sacred duty?”

Deaton waved his hand at Derek to dismiss him. Marin’s fingers sparked for a second. She looked away from the vet to sweep her arms over the forest. “To guard the forest, of course. You need allies and a pack for that. The Derek you were a week ago was on the verge of losing what little of those you had. The Derek you are now knows you need people. Starting with your future emissary.”

Deaton started to say something, but Stiles beat him to it. “Who?”

“You, Stiles. You are the future Hale emissary.”


	2. Field of Dreams?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek settles into school and tensions begin to rise.

Stiles ran his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time. “Okay, like how does she know that I’m supposed to be an emissary and yours at that?”

Derek tried to scowl, but the scents coming from Stiles made him want to nuzzle and hold him more than anything. “I’m a bit out of that loop as well. But I don’t have much of a connection with Deaton, as you can tell. And now that I know he thinks I’m a lost cause then any trust we might have had is gone. I guess my mom got along with him, but Laura never had any contact with him.”

“But…none of this makes sense! Did Scott know?” Stiles dropped his head into his hands. “Don’t answer that. We need to have some trust exercises. All of us!”

The pile of homework sitting on the desk mocked Derek. He moved over and grabbed a book. “What sucks is that I’ve already learned some of this!”

“Welcome to junior year.” Stiles pulled out his Chemistry work and sighed. “Harris is evil Are you sure there is no way to smell him out?”

“I’m not a dog, Stiles. And while he’s a dick, he smells like a repressed human man.”

“That explains a lot.”

* * *

 

Derek knew his day could not get any worse than when Coach Finstock grabbed his arm and pulled him into the locker room.

“Listen, Hale, a boy like you needs to be in sports. I know about your family’s athletic past and this is a way to do that legacy proud. Now basketball isn’t the it sport anymore, nope, its lacrosse and it’s time to man up and learn the game.”

Everything in him made Derek want to flee. To his horror he responded, “I know how to play already.”

“Excellent! Be here after school so you can try out. Your pals Lahey and Boyd are already on the team. Maybe you can get that Bilinski kid to shape up and give McCall a run for his money.”

Now he was decked out in a uniform dragging towards practice. Seeing Erica, Cora, Allison, and Lydia in the stands made him want to run away as fast as possible.

“Why are you looking like this is the Bataan Death March?” Stiles asked as he ran past Derek. “It’s good for you.”

Finstock blew his whistle and nodded at the boys. “Okay men, we are going to win a championship if it kills you. Not me, you! Since Jackson abandoned us this season it’s up to all of you to raise your game. Especially you, Greenberg! Now Hale here is the new guy, make him feel welcome.”

The grin from Danny made Derek a bit nervous and then they were off. The blindside shove from Scott caught Derek off guard. He growled lowly and decided it was time to assert some alpha authority.

Derek knew the extent to which he could show off and kept it just under that line. He used his speed and reflexes to pass the ball, setting up easy scores. Every so often he’d get in a shove to Scott. The captain wanted to try to be the boss then he’d have to earn it.

Stiles caught another pass from Derek and zipped the ball by the out of position Danny. “That’s three for Stilinski!”

“Yeah because your boyfriend keeps setting you up,” retorted Danny. “He’s getting on Scott’s nerves.”

Scott faced off against Boyd and shifted his weight enough to make Boyd loose his balance for an instant, but it was enough for Scott to gain possession. He took the ball down the left side and waited for Derek to commit to his defense. He threw the ball to Isaac the moment he saw Derek shift, but Greenberg obstructed Isaac enough for the ball to go by. Before he knew it Derek had the ball again and was passing it to Stiles. Scott had enough. He ran hard and swept Stiles’ legs from under him.

Derek saw red when Scott tripped Stiles from behind. He moved quickly and leveled the captain with a flying tackle. “Pick on someone your own size, tough guy.” 

Holding his hands up, Scott moved away and checked on Stiles. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fucking peachy, Scott. The fuck?” Stiles got up and made to hit Scott with his stick. “There was no need for that!”

“Sorry, got caught up in the game,” Scott muttered sheepishly.

“That’s what I’m talking about! Raw aggression, naked ambition, the drive to win at all costs! Just don’t get blood on the uniforms, Greenberg’s laundry skills suck.” Finstock looked down at Stiles and frowned. “Get up; you still have ten more minutes of this game. Nothing broken or sprained then no stopping!”

Derek openly punished Scott for the last ten minutes of the game, making sure he knew was on Derek’s shit list. More than once Boyd and Isaac tried to run interference, but Derek was having none of it.

Finally the whistle blew and the scrimmage ended. Stiles ran over and pushed Derek towards the bleachers. “No, you aren’t going in the locker room with Scott in there. You’ll rip him to shreds! You need to chill!”

“He hurt you!”

“I’m fine! I’ll deal with him, not you! Stop playing the overbearing brute of a boyfriend. It’s not sexy. Well a little sexy, but that’s not the point,” Stiles yelled.

Derek sat back and rolled his eyes. “Look, I know you hate it when I point out that you’re human, and I don’t mean weak by the way, but he was out of control…”

“Oh and you started laying on him the rest of the game. Don’t think we aren’t going to talk about that after I give Scott a piece of my mind!” Stiles started pacing back and forth gesticulating wildly. “I am not a prize to be put on a shelf or to be won. I’m my own person…”

“Wait!” Derek held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll admit to being a bit protective, but I don’t think you’re a prize.” He blanched as he reviewed that statement in his head. “I don’t mean it like that!” He cringed as Stiles’ face did several contortions. “I was…I mean…I liked playing with you?”

Stiles face palmed and shook his head. “Even when you use your words somehow it doesn’t come out right.”

Derek frowned. “Well you use plenty of words and still mange not to say anything!”

“This is not about me!” Stiles yelled.

“Of course not, because it’s all my fault that I’m out here playing this game when I was perfectly happy being a wallflower!”

Stiles scoffed. “Oh please! You’ve been here less than a week and already we can see the James Hale fan club being created. You smile, bat your eyelashes, and boom several girls are there drooling over your stupid perfect face!”

Suddenly Derek stopped and stared at Stiles. “What?”

Stiles was in full tirade mode when he stopped too. “What do you mean, ‘What’?”

Derek got up and motioned for Stiles to follow. He listened and heard Boyd and Isaac practically pulling Scott from the school. The locker room was clear so he headed there. “Scott’s not there and I stink so can we clean up?”

“So you can seduce me with your body?” Stiles sighed and frowned, but he knew his interest in Derek was starting to rise.

Almost replying, Derek shook his head and started towards the locker room. “I don’t want to fight, Stiles. Look, my instincts tell me to protect you and I’ll not apologize for that.” He sighed and opened his locker to start stripping. “Stiles, this is still new to me. Everything and on top of that…this, between us, isn’t about teenage hormones. For me at least.”

Stiles leaned back and banged his head against the wall. “I…okay, yes, there are feelings and stuff. Have you ever thought I want to protect you too? Look Scott was an ass, but I can deal with him. And whatever is going on we have to talk about it. Deaton dropped a bombshell on us, but he’s my best friend. Allison still likes him even though they aren’t together and Isaac wants to be his friend. Lydia is kind of lost without Jackson right now. We can’t have you and Scott fighting each other.”

Derek leaned over and kissed Stiles lightly before heading to the shower. “I’m not a big fan of his right now. But, I’m mainly mad because he likes to hide stuff.”

Doing his best ‘seriously’ look, Stiles scoffed. “Maybe we need to find a truth spell for the pack. One night no secrets. Even if it means we find out you had a woobie when you were three…”

“I had a Lego collection and I miss it.” Derek moved under the hot water and sighed. “I miss a lot of things Stiles. Being younger again is making it harder to stay quiet. Maybe Morrell was onto something after all.”

Stiles watched as Derek started to clean off in the shower. He followed suit and tried not to ogle the perfect pert ass that suddenly graced his bed often. It hit him out of nowhere just how hard life had been for Derek. Just how fucked up everything was that being a teenager again wasn’t close to the worst thing that ever happened.

“We can drive down to Sacramento this weekend to the Lego store. I have a box of old ones in the basement too. The Lord of the Rings sets are awesome.”

“I had a Star Destroyer and a sandcrawler.” Derek rinsed out his hair and turn off the jets. “I used to look at EBay when we were in New York. Laura bought me an X-Wing fighter and an Attack cruiser for my twenty-first birthday. I never put them together.”

Stiles finished his shower and followed Derek out. “Where are they?”

“In storage in New York. Lots of things are still there.”

“Let’s go home and we can talk about all of this after we eat.”

* * *

 

Stiles left Derek doing homework with Erica, Cora, and Boyd. Isaac was at Scott’s with Allison there as well. He looked over at Lydia and sighed. “This is a mess.”

“Yes, but we don’t have all the facts. What we do have though are some agendas we don’t understand and people we don’t really know who are behind them.”

He pulled up to Deaton’s Vet Clinic and climbed out. He moved around to the other door to help Lydia clamor out.

“Your Jeep is a menace Stiles.” She looked at the doors and frowned. “Is he going to be of any use?”

“We have to try.” Stiles led them inside and to the back where he saw Dr. Deaton finishing up some paperwork.

The Vet glanced up and then back to his work. “I assume you are here for a reason.”

Lydia leaned against a wall tapping her nailed against one of the bookcases. “We need information and you seem like the perfect starting point.”

At that, Deaton looked up and arched an eyebrow. “Continue.”

“I see you’re as helpful as usual,” Stiles quipped.

“Mr. Stilinski, what you may view as ‘helpful’ I could view as harmful. Knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

“How about, NO!” Lydia said as she pointed a finger at Deaton. “Knowledge has the ability to forewarn people. It has the ability to allow themselves to get prepared. The absence of knowledge is not safety, its ignorance.”

“Ms. Martin, I have many years of experience to draw upon to make up my own mind on what is safe and what is harmful. You two are extremely bright, but with no experience to temper your judgment.”

Stiles saw red. “And yet you do things that keep vital information away from us and only give it in small doses. We spend more time trying to find answers than actually doing.”

“Doing is the issue! You should not be doing anything,” Deaton quipped back. “What do you know? Nothing.”

Lydia’s eyes narrowed. “I’m far from his biggest fan, but why are you so hostile to Derek Hale? From what I’ve gathered you could have helped him several times and have done nothing.”

Deaton scoffed and stood up. “What do you know about Derek? You know his family is gone. You know he’s an unfit alpha. Do you even know how he got his blue eyes?”

“No,” Stiles said flatly.

“Then you don’t know Derek Hale. His mother and I had different thoughts concerning him. My assessment proved correct, much to her misfortune.” Deaton walked past them and opened the door to the clinic. “How I do things is my business. You have not the capacity or ability to judge my actions. I take a long view of these matters and you should not concern yourself with them.”

Lydia followed Stiles out the door, but turned to stare down Deaton. “I may not know the whole story yet, but one thing is crystal clear. You’re an asshole.”

“Good night.” The door closed behind them, echoing in the night as a slam.

Stiles made a motion to hit Deaton, but a laugh from behind them made him turn around.

“That is my normal reaction to being near him for more than five minutes.” Marin Morrell smiled tightly and motioned to her car. “And yes, Lydia, he’s an asshole. But there is nothing I can do about it.”

“What brings you here?” Stiles asked trying to curb his annoyance at Deaton.

Morrell smiled. “You want answers, but I only know bits and pieces. Alan’s memories are colored by his experiences of the time and Derek’s are still overwhelmed with grief.”

“So how do we find our answers,” Lydia asked impatiently.

“Follow me to the clearing in the woods. There is a small pool there. We shall gather moonlight and open up the past to our questions.” She smiled again.

Stiles looked from Lydia to Morrell and sighed. “Are you Galadriel with a magic mirror?”

She scoffed. “Please, would I put up with his shit or any of the other wolves’ shit if I was her? And it is a cross between her mirror and Dumbledore’s. We call it the ‘Rearview Mirror’ spell.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” frowned Lydia as she followed them.


	3. The past opens up

Stiles and Lydia followed Marin Morrell through the forest to the place she’d mentioned. “You know if this was a horror movie something terrible would be waiting for us in the clearing.”

“We know who she is, Stiles,” Lydia countered. “And I am not going to be the one needing rescuing. You fill that role.”

Before he could respond that he was not the damsel in distress, they reached the pool that Morrell spoke about.

“Gather around and see if we can’t learn a few things.” She looked to the darkening sky and the rising moon. “We timed this perfectly.” She sat down cross-legged and motioned for them to do the same. “We might as well get comfortable. Both of you need to focus on the water. Let it all come to you.” Marin raised her hands and the first hints of moonlight reflected off the water. Slowly the water became brighter and brighter. “We ask that what has taken place under your watchful eye be made clear to us. Open the past and let us know.”

The pool flashed and images began to appear…

* * *

 

_The door to the clinic opened and Peter Hale walked through the door. “Alan? You back here?”_

_Alan Deaton walked up front and smiled. “Peter, what brings you here this fine afternoon?”_

_Peter walked over and shrugged. “You know Talia likes to limit what I know about werewolf affairs. She’s grooming Laura to be the next alpha and that is a great choice, but that doesn’t mean all the knowledge should be limited.”_

_“You’ve learned a great deal over the years, Peter. Your knowledge of the supernatural is outstanding. What are you looking at now?”_

_Peter walked away from the counter and looked out the front door. “Talia met with several alphas. Things are changing.”_

_“It’s the way of the world. There is a movement for a broader treaty with the hunters.”_

_“They still hunt us while they talk of peace,” Peter scoffed. “What are the differences between born and changed wolfs?”_

_Alan was taken aback, but motioned for Peter to follow him. Pulling a book off the shelf, Alan handed it to the young wolf. “Mostly there are issues intrinsic to the person being turned. They can’t regrow limbs, but their overall health will improve. It won’t make them smarter.”_

_Peter kept nodding as he looking in the book. There was a section on an alpha’s bite that he quickly scanned. “Must the subject be willing?”_

_Shocked, Alan turned to look Peter in the face. “What? The bite should only be given to the willing. That is why hunters exist.”_

_“I was examining the role intent has in everything. You know magic works by intent too.” Peter turned the page to a section on alpha weaknesses. “So anything else between born and turned?”_

_“Born tend to be stronger, the wolf is second nature and it takes time for the turned to adapt.” Alan stared at Peter for a moment. “You know all this…”_

_“What I know is conjecture and observation, but if any actual documentation exists then it would lend support one way or another…” Peter smiled broadly and reached for a different book. “Anyway, what do we know about creating wolvesbane immunities? Seems like a place to begin if the hunters don’t want a treaty…”_   


The scene shifted to Peter talking to the Alpha Ennis.

_“The loss of your beta must leave a hole in your pack; especially a large hole in the pack bond. When my mother died, the pain lingered for weeks. We expected her to pass, but still it ached. I can’t imagine what it felt like when the hunters killed him; ripping him from your pack.”_

_Ennis growled and then stared at Peter. “What do you want little wolf? You playing with me?”_

_Peter shook his head. “Of course not, but we have a situation on our hands. Derek is falling for a human. Talia is too busy dealing with this treaty to pay attention. He can’t share our secret, alpha’s orders and its driving him mad. But I’ve met her and she is lovely.”_

_Eyes narrowing, Ennis growled again. “And this concerns me how?”_

_“She’s a powerful personality, Alpha. She would make a great turned wolf. Think of the alliance that your pack could cement with the Hales. You’ve always wanted a larger say in alpha affairs. Imagine your beta being mated to Talia’s oldest son. It would create strong solid pack ties. And it would increase your security if this treaty fails.”_

_Ennis leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “Even if I would do this, the other alphas would have my head for biting her without her permission. But it does sound doable.”_

_“Leave that to me.”_

The mirror changed color and showed Peter in the workroom of Hale house wearing a breathing mask and mixing some herbs. It showed Peter listening in to a conversation between Paige and Derek about meeting afterschool. Peter talked to Talia about Derek’s school work falling behind and forcing him to be late for the meeting. Then the pool shifted to Peter as he walked over to Ennis and blew a fine powder in his face.

_“Alpha Ennis, if you meet her tonight at the school she will be there. I’ve told her that it is a secret and she’s agreed if it will keep her together with Derek.”_

_The Alpha blinked rapidly and shook his head. His eyes suddenly unfocused and glazed over. “I get a new pack member. She agreed.”_

_“Yes. It’s all arranged_.”

Chaotic images followed of Ennis chasing Paige and Derek trying to stop him. Peter raced from the school after a door was torn from its hinges. The mirror soon rippled as Derek held Paige; knowing she was dying from the bite. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he told her it would be okay. He would help her. Black tendrils covered both arms as he snapped her neck. Pain radiated from him and through the mirror. The echo of tragic loss crossing the mirror to the witnesses.

_“It’s okay son.” Talia said as she comforted Derek. “I’ll take care of it.”_

Talia marched towards Ennis with fury in her eyes. Without giving him the option she dug her nails into his neck and locked eyes. In the battle of wills, she won. She retreated from him in seconds; horrified. The mirror pond rippled again.

_“Do you know what you’ve done?” Talia screamed at Peter. “You’ve destroyed the life of a child and broken your nephew’s heart!”_

_“I did it for him! She could never know by your command!” Peter spat back. “Don’t lecture me about ruined lives!”_

_Talia’s eyes narrowed. “You conspired for this to happen. Not her death, but her change. For what reason?”_

_“Derek’s happiness.”_

_For the second time Talia dug her claws into the neck of another wolf and locked eyes. But this time her younger brother was no match for her. She let go and roared at her younger brother._

_“You will not recall anything of the root cellar. Its location is lost to you. All your conversations with Alan Deaton are forgotten. You will forget were your books and information is hidden. Moreover, you will leave Derek alone. You’ve caused his grief and heartbreak. Get away from me!”_

The mirror flashed as Talia walked into the Vet Clinic and looked over all the information on the shelves in Alan’s office. Stacks of books on the floor as well. She frowned as he walked in with a smile.

_“Derek had an incident in the last few days. An alpha who lost control bit his girlfriend and it didn’t take. He killed her as an act of mercy in the root cellar.” She looked at the books again. “Peter arranged it all.”_

_Alan’s face fell. “What?”_

_“You’ve allowed him to learn things he was neither fit for nor meant to have, Alan. He gained your friendship and used it to further his own goals.”_

_“The treaty has fallen apart, Talia. You should’ve been there.”_

_“Someone is dead and Derek is deeply scarred. The loss of his first love and having done it for compassion is tragic. Alan, the very basis for any treaty would be that we are human too. Don’t lose sight of that.” She stared at him for a moment. “Peter won’t be returning here. I would suggest you be mindful of what you share and to whom.”_

_He turned from her. “I’ll take that under advisement.”_

* * *

 

The three of them sat back stunned. Lydia stood up and started pacing. “What was Peter up to?”

“This doesn’t explain everything about why Deaton hated Derek though,” Stiles stated at the same time.

Morrell looked back towards the town. “There is much left unanswered, but Talia Hale didn’t want Peter to have anything to do with the Nemeton after what happened. She wiped his memory.” She looked back at the stunned teenagers. “Do you see and understand now why he needs to heal? Not long after that, while he was still emotionally wounded, he lost his family.”

“Kate Argent seduced him and used him to gain access to the family,” Stiles said flatly. “It’s worse than you think.”

Lydia sat back down and sighed. “He came back here and lost his sister, killed his psychotic uncle, and had to deal with all that crap from the Argents and Matt. He needs therapy and a long ass vacation. A don’t think there are enough spa days to help get over that.” She reached over and squeezed Stiles’ hand. “I don’t like him, but I wouldn’t wish that life on anyone.”

“What we’ve given him is more precious than therapy. The dark and shadowed paths of his brain aren’t worn like ruts in the road. He’s young and developing again. He can heal, but we need to know what dangers he faces now.” Morrell offered her hand to Lydia. “We’ve gained time and space for the Hale alpha to grow into his power and heal his soul.”

Stiles wiped his jeans down and nodded. “Dad and I will keep him and Cora safe.”

“The night grows old, go home and we will plan our course of action tomorrow.” She walked off in a different direction while Stiles and Lydia went back the way they came. As they emerged from the parking lot they saw Peter leaning on his Jeep.

The elder Hale smiled. “What did the witch show you?”

Lydia looked at her nails and frowned. “It’s none of your concern.”

“But I think it is.”


	4. Misunderstandings

Stiles stepped in front of Lydia to confront Peter. “Now is not a good time. We don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Go away,” Lydia gritted out. Without missing a beat she pulled out a small compact. “One of the things I’ve learned dealing with ‘this world’ is to be prepared.” She blew the purple power towards Peter. “Chemistry is a wonderful thing; powders and aerosols, temperatures that components mix at a nice level.”

Peter sneezed and frowned. “That isn’t a toxic mix.” He sneezed again. He took two steps forward before he thought better of it.

“No, but it’s a first batch.” She grinned again. “Go away.”

The wolf snarled for a second before running off. Stiles chuckled while he opened the passenger door for his friend. “What did you mix in there?”

Lydia shrugged as she accepted the help climbing into the Jeep. “Cora and Erica both expressed disdain for certain pollens. I tested a few. Ragweed makes Erica sneeze a lot while oak pollen made Cora’s eyes water. Still working on something to make the boys come to heel.”

“You’re evil, Lydia,” Stiles threw the Jeep into reverse and then roared out of the parking lot. “Can I have some?”

* * *

 

Finally getting a chance to check his phone after dropping Lydia off, Stiles scrolled through several missed texts. “Bunch of losers!” the driveway was empty as he pulled up, confirming that his friends sucked.

“Bet no one bothered to leave me anything to eat either,” he grumbled as he made his way inside. “Umph!” Stiles almost doubled over from being handed a plate by Derek. “What are you doing here?”

“I was not seeing some rom-com with that bunch. Laura loved to torture me on Sundays with that stuff. Don’t get me started on Lifetime either.” Derek turned on his heel and headed back to the kitchen.

Stiles looked down at the plate he’s holding and moaned. “Dude, is this a homemade burrito?” He followed and stopped inside the kitchen door because Derek was not doing dishes too. “You always been this domestic?” He could sense the eye roll from his boyfriend.

“It’s nice to feel part of a family again.  Nice to feel part of a real pack. I had chores growing up and Laura and I split all the duties together.” Derek leaned back into the sudden hug. “I feel like I can breathe again.”

“I like being able to hold you and look over your shoulder.” Stiles nuzzled Derek’s neck from behind. “I want you to feel loved and happy again. You can breathe again, Der. It’s not all on you anymore.”  He leaned forward a bit and kissed Derek. “Thank you for dinner.”

“You haven’t eaten it yet.”  

“Doesn’t matter because you made sure to have something for me,” Stiles purred into his ear. “Think I can get you come with me upstairs for a bit?”

In a flash, Derek was running up the stairs and Stiles laughed as he picked up discarded clothing dotting the staircase. “Somehow you think you are going to get lucky after that brute routine earlier…”

“You reek of arousal,” Derek chimed back. “And I know you can’t avoid drooling when you see my naked ass.” 

  “Fuck!” Stiles groaned as he stripped as well and pounced on Derek. He kissed Derek’s collar bone while he fished in the side table for the lube. “You’ve been dancing all day. You need it now don’t you? Bet you thought you were a top, but really just a greedy bottom.”

Groaning, Derek grabbed Stiles and kissed him deeply. “Just wait, I’ll start tagging your ass soon. But…it feels so good when you are in me.”

The kissing grew hot and heavy when the front door opened. Derek jumped up and grabbed his shorts. “Your dad just walked in.”

“BOYS! You better be dressed!” John yelled from downstairs.

Both of them dressed and made their way downstairs. John looked at them and laughed. “Like you two haven’t managed to go at it every chance you get.” He pulled out his phone. “But I want to know why Alan Deaton warned me about Derek?”

“That unmitigated bastard!” Stiles spat out. “Lydia and I met with Morrell this evening and took a little stroll through the past. Alan Deaton is an asshole and a major part of the problem. Don’t believe me; ask Lydia.”

John held up his hands to placate his son. “Look, I know Derek and Deaton has been a rather miserable person for years. Well, not miserable, but rather stoic. He’s not very helpful when he needs to step up.” He put his arm around Derek and gave him a squeeze. “Besides, everything I’ve seen of you and know about you tells me you always try to do the right thing.”

Feeling a bit at a loss, Derek leaned against the wall and looked at Stiles. “What…what did you learn?”

“You’re fixating aren’t you? Don’t worry because what we saw confirmed that you had a crap hand dealt to you.” Stiles scowled and started pacing. “Deaton and Peter were responsible for Paige dying. Well, Deaton gave all kinds of information to Peter and that j-hole used it for whatever purpose. We didn’t find that out.”

John held out his hands and shook his head. “Go up to bed. Cora will be back soon and you still have school tomorrow. I’ll see if I can’t locate Peter and have a conversation with him.”

“Dad, he was waiting for Lydia and me to get back from our little chat with Morrell. Be careful. I always thought he was dangerous, but now I know he couldn’t be trusted ever.” Stiles linked his hand with Derek’s. “Your mom went off on him after she found out. She went mega-alpha on him. I don’t think you can do what she did.”

Derek shook his head. “She was kind of a legend. So was my grandmother. We’re a very old family and pretty rare for our full shift. I can’t do it.” He dropped his eyes down to the floor and didn’t look up until Stiles forced him to look up. “What?”

“You’ve had zero training and no help from the one person who could help you.” Stiles looked away for a moment before looking back. Like Ms. Morrell said, this is all about making you into the full Hale Alpha you can be.”

* * *

 

John watched the boys trudge back up the stairs. He pulled out some work and flipped through some files and waited for Cora to barrel through the door. He waved as she caught a glimpse of him and then ran up the stairs. He heard a noise outside and pulled out his gun as he went to check it out.

The motion detectors came on as he opened the door. The back and side yards were dark and the full moon only added some light, but still the shadows played with his senses. The snag of a twig behind him made John turn and aim in a single motion.

“Argh!!!”

John rolled his eyes as he pulled Scott into the house. “Boy, I know you have healing abilities, but a gunshot would still hurt. What are you doing sneaking around at this hour?” He narrowed his eyes. “Does Melissa know you’re here?”

“She’s working and…I miss Stiles.” Scott moped and started scuffing his shoes on the floor. He perked up when he heard a door open upstairs and feet coming down the stairs like a thundering herd.

John threw his hands up in the air when Stiles and Derek walked into the kitchen in their underwear. Stiles with his X-Men boxers was okay, but Derek was in some tight black low-cut trunks that reminded John that Derek lacked for modesty as an adult and clearly didn’t as a teen either.

“Scott, what are you doing here?” Stiles asked as he yawned. “Derek heard something going on.”

“Can you put on some clothes?” Scott exclaimed as he motioned to Derek. He sighed as he plopped down into a chair. “I came to apologize to you. I was a dick earlier.”

Stiles put a hand on Derek’s arm to keep him restrained. “Yes you were. But it’s not about me and we both know it. Dad and I are going to the living room and you two are going to hash out your differences. No getting physical.” He stood up and pulled his dad with him. “Don’t think I won’t have my dad shoot either of you if you don’t settle this.”

The kitchen became quiet as the Stilinskis departed for the Living room. All that could be heard was the occasional deep breath from Scott. Derek groaned as he started tapping his fingers on the table. “Getting up early every day sucks.”

“Yes,” Scott responded. “Especially when Stiles and I used to stay up playing games when our parents worked late.” He started knocking his knuckles on the table. “He doesn’t do that anymore.”

“Because of me.” Derek didn’t phrase it as a question; he knew that was one of many issues Scott currently held against him.

“Yes. You’re an asshole and a bully.” Scott moved away. “You take whatever you can…”

Derek surged out of his chair. “Are you playing the innocent? I recall you using me against Gerard Argent as I begged you not to. Stiles, isn’t mine either. How he chooses to spend his time is up to him!”

Scott growled. “He was my friend first! And you lied to me so I can’t trust you!”

To his shock, Derek sighed instead of escalating the argument.  He plopped back down and motioned for Scott to sit. “Trust is hard for me. I wanted to trust you soon after we met because you reminded me of my family. Yes…mistakes were made. You need to be honest, Scott. Could you have killed Peter? And what if it only made you an alpha? Could you have lived with either fate?”

No answer came from the teen except an increased heart rate and conflicting emotional pheromones.

Derek pressed on. “Do I owe you an apology? Probably. My mother would be disappointed because she raised me better. But…” Derek got up and started moving around. He cleared his throat. “You don’t know what I was going through and I hope you never do. My world crumbled again…and…” he moved away and took a few deep breaths. His emotions were all over the place suddenly. “You shouldn’t have to kill any one Scott. You’re a gentle soul.”

The younger boy got up and started pacing too. He grumbled until he finally sighed and placed his hand on Derek’s arm. “Maybe we should start over.”

“Okay,” Derek said. “Sounds like a good idea since I think the sheriff has adopted Cora and me.”

Stiles ran into the room and started pushing them both out the door. “We need to get to Deaton’s. The twins are back and they are badly injured.”


	5. Trouble comes to town

Derek walked into the clinic and frowned. He could smell the blood and feint traces of magic, but something was wrong with the twins. Scott, Stiles and the sheriff followed him into the back.

“You all can’t be back here,” stated Deaton coldly.

Not bothering to listen, he walked right up to one of the twins. “Aiden, right?” Before getting a response, Derek popped his claws out and shoved them in the back of the wounded werewolf’s neck. He looked into the other boy’s eyes and allowed his to bleed alpha red. “Too weak to counter, let me see!”

Deaton moved to separate the wolves, but Stiles and Scott got in-between the former emissary and the young alpha. “I think you’ve been compromised, Doc. Tend to the other one.” The sheriff sat down against the wall and watched.

In what felt like ages, but was seconds, Derek pulled back and frowned. “Call Ms. Morrell and have her get here. These two aren’t alphas anymore. Ennis is dead. Kali and Deucalion won’t be an issue for much longer.” 

Stiles started to comment, but backed down at Derek’s hand signal. He watched as the young alpha marched over and proceeded to use the same claw/stare technique on Ethan. Once Derek was done he coughed to grab Derek’s attention. “Learn anything new?”

“These two were dying and magic was used to save them at a steep cost. The witch coven that they attacked deemed them little threat without their alpha status, but they were also cursed.”

Deaton surged out of his chair. “Cursed? In what way?”

The door swung open and Lydia walked in followed by Marin. The emissary regarded her brother with a sneer before moving to the wounded twins. “You can’t sense the magic on these two? Everything we do was always so academic to you that you have no feel for the art.” She smiled at Lydia and pulled her forward. “Close your eyes and feel the difference between them and say, Derek. The magic on Derek has a deep earthy tone, rooted in werewolf magic, but the twins that magic has an electric feel, deep and under the skin.” Her eyebrows shot up and she did a double take. “What did you do?”

Aiden sat up and frowned. His wounds were bound, but not healing. “Duke knew that coven was the key to gaining control of San Francisco so he marched right in and demanded they submit.”

“Oh my,” mumbled Deaton behind them. “High order magic banished him from Beacon Hills and he goes against the most established coven on the West Coast?”

“We didn’t know that,” Ethan whimpered. “Ennis moved to attack one of the senior witches and in seconds he was on the floor spread eagle. Kali and Duke were seized as well. We were thrown against a wall and…”

“They looked into their heads and pulled out the memories of their recent abuses,” Derek stated flatly. “Many of those wounds were inflicted on them, including the fatal blow to their former alpha. The witches healed them taking that alpha spark from both of them.”

Aiden shook his head and tried to turn away. “Duke and Kali are now their prisoners, but they sacrificed Ennis; called him a murderer and said they were rendering judgment.”

“And with that they cursed you,” Marin said as she walked over. She looked them over and again and frowned. “No longer alphas and now barely wolves. All our powers are being suppressed. What is the condition?”

Ethan dropped his head. “We have to earn our way into the Hale pack fully and completely. Learn to submit to authority again and how to function in a normal pack.”

“Nothing normal about this pack,” muttered Stiles.

Scott groaned and rolled his eyes. “How…how is that possible?”

Pushing the twin to lay back down to save his strength, Marin came over to Scott and sighed. “Magic has a price. No doubt that coven knows what happened to Hale and I might be getting a call, but they turned the twins inside out.” She grabbed to small cups and filled them with water. “Alan, they need a rose water and violet tea. Add in mint extract for good measure.” She glared at him until he moved.

“Why were they let go and sent here?” Lydia asked as she stepped forward to examine Aiden again.

“You said they were in a tough spot,” Stiles added. “What did you mean by that?”

“The twins had a history of abuse in their old pack, but not by the alpha. There was some dysfunction and it all went back to how Deucalion went blind.” She glared at Deaton’s back for a moment. “Ennis met them and convinced them the only way to survive was to take out the alpha and then kill their tormentor.”

“It didn’t go well,” Derek added. “Duke suspected that born twins could become alphas at the same time and perhaps achieve even greater strength. Their pack was destroyed that night.” 

“Kali and Ennis came and told us hunters would be after us for what happened and only Duke could protect us.” Ethan shivered.

“Enough,” Marin said as she helped Ethan back up. “Stiles, Sheriff, please take Derek back home. I will house the twins after Alan and I finished their treatment. Ms. Martin, if you will remember what we’ve talked about.”

Scott followed Stiles out the door. He turned back to Derek and frowned. “Why did you attack them like that?” Anger and confusion radiated off him in waves.

“I didn’t attack him exactly,” Derek rubbed the back of his neck. “I needed answers and the best way was to see for myself.”

“That was…” Scott started but frowned when Stiles slapped a hand over his mouth.

“We’re working on better communication and the twins are responsible for Derek being sixteen again.” Stiles pulled Scott towards the Jeep.

“Boys, home now. We can discuss this there,” John said with authority. He ushered them to the Jeep and hopped into the driver’s seat. “Stiles, do you ever listen to your engine? That doesn’t sound right.”

“How can you tell?” asked a confused Scott.

A sigh escaped the sheriff before he could stop it. “There are a few things that I need to teach you and Stiles before Melissa and I release you unto the world. One of them is how to change your oil and other basic car maintenance.”

“I know that stuff. I can help,” Derek said. “In fact the Jeep might be easier to work than say, my car.”

The ride was silent as they made their way back to the house. Cora was waiting for them on the couch. “You know, the next time everyone leaves at one a text might be nice,” she snarled. “Given what’s happened recently,” she motioned up and down at Derek, “I might be worried something else has happened!”

The four men had the decency to look abashed. John stepped up and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re absolutely right. But everything is okay, I think.”

She rolled her eyes and then glared at Derek. “Where were you?”

“Pulling secrets out of the twins,” Scott huffed. “Look, I get that you…fuck!”

“Language!” John said automatically.

Derek plopped down and Stiles sat down next to him. The alpha looked up at Scott and sighed. “I needed answers and yes, it was invasive, but we had no way of knowing if they are here to hurt us or not.” He held up a hand to stop Scott. “Yes, there is a spell in place, but we don’t know the full extent of it. We also don’t know how powerful that curse on them is.”

Scott dropped onto the couch next to Stiles. He buried he head in his hands and a small sob escaped him. Stiles pulled him close and waited for Scott to say something. After a few moments, Scott pulled back and wiped at his eyes. “I want to be angry at you for what you did, but…” Scott looked at Derek and then down again. “I’m sorry,” he muttered softly.

Cora looked back and forth and narrowed her eyes. John eyed Stiles and he stood up. Gently nudging Cora, the three of them went to the kitchen leaving Derek and Scott in the living room alone.

She allowed herself to be ushered out. Once they were in the kitchen, Cora turned at glared at Stiles. “What is that all about?”

“Scott and Derek have issues. Let them settle this and then you can ask Derek because it’s his to tell one way or the other.”

“Fine! Do we have any ice cream?” Cora started moving while keep an ear out for what was going down in the living room.

Derek moved over and was next to Scott, but not touching. “What?”

Another huff escaped Scott before he sighed again. “I’m sorry. What I did to you was close to what you did to them. Except you had more cause. How…how can you stand to be near me?”

“Well, I’m sixteen now and lots of that anger isn’t just under my skin. I mean I _know_ what you did, but it feels more like a dream now. Hard to explain.” He reached over and grabbed Scott’s hand. “Stiles is your best friend and now my boyfriend. We need to move forward and as a pack. The others are settling in and that’s a good thing.”

“Your uncle is still out there and who knows what else,” Scott rubbed his eyes and poked Derek in his chest. “I kind of like you this age. You aren’t so much bigger than me.” He grinned broadly. “I don’t think I could have apologized if you were still all broody, scowly, and beardy.”

A laugh escaped Derek before he could stop it. “I might have held a grudge longer if I was still wound that tight. We do need to talk about stuff, but maybe with Lydia and Stiles present? Not that I don’t want to trust you, but because they can plan things?”

Appearing to think it over, Scott nodded. “But we need to talk about Stiles. You can’t hog him.”

“HEY!” came a response from the kitchen. He marched out and pointed at both of them. “I can make my own decisions about how I spend my time.” he paused to notice that they were sitting closer and had grins on their faces. “Suddenly, I’m not so sure about you two being friends.”

John started running out of the house.

“Dad!” Stiles yelled.

“I’ll call, there’s been a break-in at the vet clinic.”

Scott and Derek ran out. “You can’t go alone!” yelled Stiles.

John stopped and stared at the four teenagers looking at him. “It’s a break-in, some junky looking for drugs probably. We have those issues too. One deputy is already there waiting for backup.” He walked out the door and into the cruiser.

Derek looked over and Scott and Cora. “Stiles, meet us there, but park down the block. Come on, we’ll take the short cut. Something isn’t right about this.”


	6. Secrets and Lies

When John arrived at the Deaton’s office, the door was broken. Slowly he made his way in with Derek and Scott trailing behind. “I’d feel a lot better if you two stayed at home.”

“Not happening,” the boys said in unison. Scott moved to the door first with Derek right behind him.

John cleared his throat, but Derek held up his hand to stop him. “Peter is a born wolf; Stiles would kill us if anything happened to you.”

The boys moved inside slowly. Derek paused as he heard Peter arguing with Deaton.

“…You were absent when you should have been there!”

“You do not get to lecture me! You failed to warn Talia that Derek was screwing Kate. You knew and did nothing!”

A low growl came from Peter. “I’ll remind you that after ‘the incident’ Talia didn’t speak to me much and would not have listened. I was barred from speaking to you as well, but you were so concerned about how Talia saw you that avoided the pack altogether!”

Derek moved back instinctively as Peter hit the wall. Deaton’s normally cool voice betrayed deep emotion. “After you, Talia didn’t trust me either. You broke our bond. You shattered the trust between Alpha and Emissary.”

A roar from the back room forced Derek to move with Scott right behind him. The stench of wolvesbane filled the air as Deaton flung something at Peter that exploded in the older wolf’s face.

“How much lore do you remember, Peter? Talia was always so thorough when it came to her mental abilities.” Deaton smiled coldly as Peter choked.

Scott reacted first, grabbing some water and pouring it over Peter’s face. Derek moved and clocked Deaton over the head. He thought about trying to see into the emissary’s mind. The sheriff was in the room helping Scott with a debilitated Peter.

“I don’t know how to deal with him,” Derek said.

“Leave him to me,” said Marin Morrell as she walked in with Stiles behind her. “Thankfully someone knows how to use a phone around here.”

Slowly she walked over and lifted up Alan with Derek’s help. “Take him to his office and place him on the small sofa there. I need to look around.”

Derek helped get Deaton where he’d been instructed to dump him. He went outside and hid his smile as Scott and Stiles argued over where to take Peter.

“We could just leave his werewolf ass in a ditch someplace, Scott. I’m sure he’s woken up in worse.”

“Son…”

“No dad,” yelled Stiles. “You can’t take him to jail and he can’t be at our place. Scott isn’t strong enough to handle him either.”

“The loft,” suggested Derek. “I still own it and we can take turns watching him. I don’t know how much he inhaled, but his breathing isn’t labored.”

It didn’t take much to wrestle the unconscious form of Peter into the back of the patrol car. Derek jumped in beside him while Stiles kept glaring. It didn’t take long to get there. Derek, in his smaller frame, struggled a bit with Peter until Scott grabbed the older werewolf’s legs.

“Please tell me you have no plans to move back here,” Stiles pleaded. “Our house is so much better for you two.”

The sheriff cleared his throat, “Seeing as Derek is a teenager, he’s staying with us. Now, let’s get Peter settled.”

* * *

 

Marin moved to her brother and helped him up. “Your love of Talia has blinded you to so much. She was married, Alan.”

Groaning, Alan stood up with her help, but quickly backed away. “Stop judging me, Marin. The past is the past despite what you’ve attempted.”

She moved back and looked over her brother before nodding. “That is the heart of this issue. Derek doesn’t suffer for his choices like you do. Regardless of the balance, you want him broken and in pain. You want him to fail.”

“You have always had an overactive imagination,” Alan countered. “Peter and I had to revisit our past friendship since his resurrection revived his memories. Derek is a mere footnote in all of this.”

Eyes narrowing, Marin threw her hand out and Alan’s head snapped back. “I am sick of your shit Alan. You were the Hale Emissary and failed them. Derek was a teenager when all of this went down and you were supposedly a grown man.”

Alan slumped against the counter and cradled his head in his hands. “Marin, everything would be better if we started over; a new pack dynamic and new blood guarding the Preserve.”

“That is NOT your call to make,” Marin spat. “This is Hale territory and there are living Hales around. Their blood has been spilt here for generations, not ours! You endanger everyone with your manipulations.”

Alan slowly pulled himself into a standing position. “I would appreciate it if you left now. Our perceptions of this situation are markedly different.”

“And if Peter Hale comes back?”

“He will not catch me unaware again. We are both very different people than we were when he was a teenager.” Deaton took a deep breath and then glared at his sister. “You were leaving.”

“Alan, deal with your shit and stop taking it out on Derek. Whatever grandiose plans you had are over now.”

**

Derek watched his uncle slowly come around. The chains on his ankles were a precaution, but Derek was a teenaged Alpha now and wasn’t sure he could last against his savvy, if weakened, uncle. “Hangover?”

A soft groan came from Peter before he sat up. “Chains?” The older wolf looked around and sighed. “The loft? Why not a day spa instead?”

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Derek gave Peter a bottle of water. “Drink, you need it.” He squatted down and looked at his uncle. “Why did you go after Deaton?”

“Other than he’s an epic asshole?” the joke fell flat. “We have a history as I’m sure his sister showed you.”

Anger coursed through Derek, he barely refrained from killing his uncle a second time as the visions of what he’d done flowed through Derek’s head. “Answer the question.”

“Alan held the secret to getting what I wanted. I wanted my own pack and my independence. Talia, and my mother, always liked the family tradition of a female Alpha. My uncles, cousins, and my brother never chafed at the hold this placed on them.” Peter rolled his neck. “Despite what you might think, Alan was a friend and we spent lots of time together. My memories are jumbled, but I do know that we were real friends once.”

“He loved mom.”

Peter’s laugh held bitter undertones. “How could he not? Men fell to your mother’s feet! Other alphas wanted her approval. It was sycophant city when they gathered! I heard her talking to Alan once of arranging my marriage for me!” Peter snarled and pulled on his chains. “After the Paige incident it grew worse. Even your dear sweet father didn’t speak to me much. I was all but chained to the house after that.”

Derek started pacing, not looking at his uncle. “This is beyond me now. I’ll let the sheriff talk to Chris Argent about you. I’ve been your executioner once and I can’t do it again.” He started to the door. “Expect the hunters to come soon.”

“Derek, wait! You can’t!” Peter pulled on his chains trying desperately to get free. “They’ll do worse than kill me!”

Shoulders slumped, Derek turned to look at his uncle. “Good-bye, Uncle Peter.”

* * *

 

Stiles sat in the Living Room while he heard his dad talking to the Argents on the phone. He carded his hand through Derek’s thick hair. Cora curled around Lydia on the love seat trying to stay awake.

“What will they do?” Scott asked as he sat down.

“It’s no longer my call,” Derek mumbled. “Despite everything, he’s our uncle.”

“Make him a eunuch,” Lydia offered. “It would hit him in his pride and allow us to smirk at him often.”

Cora lightly swatted at Lydia. “I don’t want to think about his sex life. Besides, he’s completely nuts.”

“Then he’d be less some nuts,” Stiles quipped. “Ow,” he said rubbing the back of his head. “You may be younger, but that still hurts.”

A throat clearing got all their attention. The sheriff sighed. “They’ll be at the loft in the morning to take Peter. All I got was he’d be taken to a containment facility that could handle him. Chris did say you won’t be seeing him again.”

“The uncle we knew died in the fire,” Cora whispered. “And Deaton? I don’t want a half baked emissary with a grudge running around.”

“Marin is dealing with him. We found a home for the twins as they recover.” He sat down in his chair and groaned. “Derek, you’re the alpha by right, but I think it best if you ran things by me or Melissa if I’m busy. I know you’re really in your early twenties, but you need guidance.”

Stiles slapped a hand over Derek’s mouth before he could say anything. “Yes…”

“Stiles, let Derek talk.”

Derek glared at Stiles and nodded at the sheriff. “I think that is best in the long run. Ms. Morrell managed to get us some breathing room. We can take it from there.”

John nodded and got up. “Marin told me that magic has a price. What price will we pay for all this?”

“It’s been paid,” Scott mumbled. He frowned as everyone looked at him. “They did the magic because the Hales weren’t supposed to be lost. Derek, Cora…even Peter have already paid a heavy price.”

Lydia nodded, “Yes, but we have some space now. Peter is out of the way, the alphas have been broken, and the Hales can recover.” She stood up and motioned for Cora to join her. “Impromptu girls’ night. I know your brother has some money so we’ll have makeovers this weekend on him.”

Stiles frowned as they left. He looked at Scott and then Derek. “Well since you are now a teenager again for real, I say it’s time to get you back into the flow. Scott, shall we get him properly introduced to Halo?”

Grinning Scott raced up the stairs. Stiles pulled Derek up and smiled. “It won’t be so bad, D. Werewolves don’t get acne and you already love all of us.”

Shaking his head, Derek followed the two knuckleheads up the stairs. A quick inhale and he stopped. All their scents were mixed in a way that hit Derek hard. He had a home again. He knew dangers lurked around every corner now and he’s do everything he could to protect his new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


End file.
